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This book was good, but some parts were stupid.
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Redwall #3
Mattimeo
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Slagar the Fox is bent on revenge -- and determined to bring death and destruction to Redwall Abbey. Gathering his evil band around him, Slagar plots to strike at the heart of the Abbey. His cunning and cowardly plan is to steal the Redwall children -- and Mattimeo, Matthias's son, is to be the biggest prize of all.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1,1989
This edition
- Format
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448 pages, Paperback
- Published
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September 4, 2006 by Red Fox
- ISBN
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9781862301405
- ASIN
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1862301409
- Language
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English
About the author
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Brian Jacques (pronounced 'jakes') was born in Liverpool, England on June 15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland, County Cork to be exact.
Brian grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks, where he attended St. John's School, an inner city school featuring a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, his very first day at St. John's foreshadowed his future career as an author; given an assignment to write a story about animals, he wrote a short story about a bird who cleaned a crocodile's teeth. Brian's teacher could not, and would not believe that a ten year old could write so well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write, but it was only then that he realized he had a talent for it.
He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool, where as a truck driver, he delivered milk. Because of the nature of his first audience, he made his style of writing as descriptive as possible, painting pictures with words so that the schoolchildren could see them in their imaginations. He remained a patron of the school until his death.
Brian lived in Liverpool, where his two grown sons, Marc, a carpenter and bricklayer, and David, a professor of Art and a muralist, still reside. David Jacques' work can be seen in Children's hospitals, soccer stadiums, and trade union offices as far away as Germany, Mexico, and Chile (not to mention Brian's photo featured in most of his books).
Brian also ran a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Merseyside, until October 2006, where he shared his comedy and wit, and played his favourites from the world of opera - he was a veritable expert on The Three Tenors.
When he was wasn't writing, Brian enjoyed walking his dog 'Teddy', a white West Highland Terrier, and completing crossword puzzles. When he found time he read the works of Mario Puzo, Damon Runyon, Richard Condon, Larry McMurty, and P.G. Wodehouse. He was also known to cook an impressive version of his favourite dish, spaghetti and meatballs.
Sadly, Brian passed away on the 5th February 2011.
Brian grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks, where he attended St. John's School, an inner city school featuring a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, his very first day at St. John's foreshadowed his future career as an author; given an assignment to write a story about animals, he wrote a short story about a bird who cleaned a crocodile's teeth. Brian's teacher could not, and would not believe that a ten year old could write so well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write, but it was only then that he realized he had a talent for it.
He wrote Redwall for the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool, where as a truck driver, he delivered milk. Because of the nature of his first audience, he made his style of writing as descriptive as possible, painting pictures with words so that the schoolchildren could see them in their imaginations. He remained a patron of the school until his death.
Brian lived in Liverpool, where his two grown sons, Marc, a carpenter and bricklayer, and David, a professor of Art and a muralist, still reside. David Jacques' work can be seen in Children's hospitals, soccer stadiums, and trade union offices as far away as Germany, Mexico, and Chile (not to mention Brian's photo featured in most of his books).
Brian also ran a weekly radio show on BBC Radio Merseyside, until October 2006, where he shared his comedy and wit, and played his favourites from the world of opera - he was a veritable expert on The Three Tenors.
When he was wasn't writing, Brian enjoyed walking his dog 'Teddy', a white West Highland Terrier, and completing crossword puzzles. When he found time he read the works of Mario Puzo, Damon Runyon, Richard Condon, Larry McMurty, and P.G. Wodehouse. He was also known to cook an impressive version of his favourite dish, spaghetti and meatballs.
Sadly, Brian passed away on the 5th February 2011.
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Community Reviews
Rating(3.8 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
24(24%)
4 stars
36(36%)
3 stars
40(40%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews All reviews
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Disclaimer: I read this book out loud for a bedtime story, so that may color my opinion. You could easily cut 1/2 the book, and I wouldn’t miss a thing. The entire crow subplot was tedious and added nothing. It’s doubly frustrating because the kidnapping story is pretty engaging (Slagar js a better villain than Cluny ever was), but it feels like we’re constantly being pulled away from the action to hear about the crows.
Also, I got really tired of doing the crow voices, but that’s a me problem.
Also, I got really tired of doing the crow voices, but that’s a me problem.
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A fun read with enough violence to keep it entertaining. It's comforting to know that everything will turn out ok and have a happy ending. But I have to ask, what kind of a name is Mangiz?
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"Mattimeo grew up unrealistically fast, there were too many unnecessary character deaths, and the story just wasn't that good. I did like the Little Folkses, but the riddle stuff wasn't on par with Redwall standards. Kind of felt like a lame attempt at repeating Redwall."
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Great novel: "Mattimeo" tells the story of the son of Matthias the Warrior, who happens to be named Mattimeo. The plot is compelling and whimsical, great especially for younger readers, and I enjoyed it even more than "Redwall". There were only a couple of minor things that kept me from giving it the full five stars.
First of all, there are the numerous (that may well be an understatement) descriptions of Slagar's mask. Believe me, if you don't know what material that mask is made of by the end of the book then you have some serious attention problems. Quotes such as "Slagar grinned from behind the silken mask" and "The silk mask sucked into a hideous grin" are okay when used in moderation, but when we are bombarded endlessly with these nearly identical descriptions, it detracts from rather than adds to the story. I'm sorry, *what* was the mask made from again?
The other thing that bothered me was the apparent lack of attention to proportion. For example, at one point, Slagar gets angry at an impudent Mattimeo and starts beating the young mouse with a cane. And yet, according to Brian Jacques, Mattimeo does not feel the blows at all. Am I the only one who thinks this is simply absurd? A fox beating a mouse with a cane would be like King Kong beating a human with an uprooted tree - that's how big foxes are compared to mice. Forget feeling the blows, Mattimeo should be crushed by them!
But despite these things, I really enjoyed the story of Mattimeo, and I would recommend it to anyone who has read other books in the series or who just loves animal fantasy. I also recommend the fantastic "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series by Kathryn Lasky and the "Warriors" books by Erin Hunter.
First of all, there are the numerous (that may well be an understatement) descriptions of Slagar's mask. Believe me, if you don't know what material that mask is made of by the end of the book then you have some serious attention problems. Quotes such as "Slagar grinned from behind the silken mask" and "The silk mask sucked into a hideous grin" are okay when used in moderation, but when we are bombarded endlessly with these nearly identical descriptions, it detracts from rather than adds to the story. I'm sorry, *what* was the mask made from again?
The other thing that bothered me was the apparent lack of attention to proportion. For example, at one point, Slagar gets angry at an impudent Mattimeo and starts beating the young mouse with a cane. And yet, according to Brian Jacques, Mattimeo does not feel the blows at all. Am I the only one who thinks this is simply absurd? A fox beating a mouse with a cane would be like King Kong beating a human with an uprooted tree - that's how big foxes are compared to mice. Forget feeling the blows, Mattimeo should be crushed by them!
But despite these things, I really enjoyed the story of Mattimeo, and I would recommend it to anyone who has read other books in the series or who just loves animal fantasy. I also recommend the fantastic "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series by Kathryn Lasky and the "Warriors" books by Erin Hunter.
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Mattimeo is another highly enjoyable read and solid entry in the Redwall series. I felt this one really took things up a notch in various departments, but also felt a bit predictable in how it went about things. That said, I'm still having a delightful time in this world and wish I had read them as a kid too.
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My official first read of 2025! I loved the animated series of this book and while I enjoyed it more, this book was excellent! I cannot wait to read more of the series!!
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Mattimeo to trzeci tom cyklu Redwall Braina Jacquesa, który opowiada o przygodach leśnych stworzeń. Książka została pięknie wydana przez wydawnictwo Nowa Baśń.
W tej części powracamy do opactwa Rudy Mur oraz do bohaterów z książki otwierającej cykl. Po tomowej przerwie z ogromną przyjemnością powitałam starych bohaterów, a pojawienie się każdego z nich wywołało uśmiech na mojej twarzy. Oczywiście pojawiły się też nowe postacie z młodego pokolenia, co nadało całości nutę świeżości.
Ta część jest zdecydowanie bardziej mroczna niż poprzednie. Powraca poboczny antagonista z pierwszego tomu, ale w nowej odsłonie. Chytry lis przekształca się w łowcę niewolników i napędza fabułę przez porwanie młodych z Rudego Muru.
Autor zdecydowanie nie szczędzi nerwów czytelników. Chociaż wyraźne są dwie nicie głównej fabuły, gra nimi po mistrzowsku. W każdej coś się dzieje, każda trzyma w napięciu, ale mają nieco inny wydźwięk. Wątek porwania i pogonii za lisem jest zdecydowanie bardziej brutalny i przerażający, chociaż nie da się zaprzeczyć, że czuć od niego nadzieją. Za to wątek ataku na opactwo przez wrony, choć zaczyna się brutalnie, prędko nabiera pewnej dozy komizmu.
Bardzo wyraźnie widać przemiany, jakie zachodzą w głównych bohaterach. Tytułowa postać, Mattimeo, to młody myszek, który trochę zachłysnął się sławą ojca wojownika i nabrał nadmiernej pewności siebie. Na kartach powieści jednak zmienia się jego podejście do roli ojca, jego samego i innych stworzeń. Matti, podobnie jak i inne porwane młodziki, dojrzewają i rozwijają się w paskudnych warunkach, ale mimo to zachowują w sobie dobroć i miłość do najbliższych.
Mattimeo przestaje być książką typowo dla dzieci. Chociaż dalej ma w sobie pewne jasne oraz wyraźne morały czy nauki, poprzez zawierający w sobie mrok i pewnien terror, staje się lekturą dla nieco starszych. Nie zmienia to jednak tego, że to doskonała książka, a jej wydarzenia są dokładnie przemyślane oraz mistrzowsko opisane.
W tej części powracamy do opactwa Rudy Mur oraz do bohaterów z książki otwierającej cykl. Po tomowej przerwie z ogromną przyjemnością powitałam starych bohaterów, a pojawienie się każdego z nich wywołało uśmiech na mojej twarzy. Oczywiście pojawiły się też nowe postacie z młodego pokolenia, co nadało całości nutę świeżości.
Ta część jest zdecydowanie bardziej mroczna niż poprzednie. Powraca poboczny antagonista z pierwszego tomu, ale w nowej odsłonie. Chytry lis przekształca się w łowcę niewolników i napędza fabułę przez porwanie młodych z Rudego Muru.
Autor zdecydowanie nie szczędzi nerwów czytelników. Chociaż wyraźne są dwie nicie głównej fabuły, gra nimi po mistrzowsku. W każdej coś się dzieje, każda trzyma w napięciu, ale mają nieco inny wydźwięk. Wątek porwania i pogonii za lisem jest zdecydowanie bardziej brutalny i przerażający, chociaż nie da się zaprzeczyć, że czuć od niego nadzieją. Za to wątek ataku na opactwo przez wrony, choć zaczyna się brutalnie, prędko nabiera pewnej dozy komizmu.
Bardzo wyraźnie widać przemiany, jakie zachodzą w głównych bohaterach. Tytułowa postać, Mattimeo, to młody myszek, który trochę zachłysnął się sławą ojca wojownika i nabrał nadmiernej pewności siebie. Na kartach powieści jednak zmienia się jego podejście do roli ojca, jego samego i innych stworzeń. Matti, podobnie jak i inne porwane młodziki, dojrzewają i rozwijają się w paskudnych warunkach, ale mimo to zachowują w sobie dobroć i miłość do najbliższych.
Mattimeo przestaje być książką typowo dla dzieci. Chociaż dalej ma w sobie pewne jasne oraz wyraźne morały czy nauki, poprzez zawierający w sobie mrok i pewnien terror, staje się lekturą dla nieco starszych. Nie zmienia to jednak tego, że to doskonała książka, a jej wydarzenia są dokładnie przemyślane oraz mistrzowsko opisane.
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